Platform: Windows

If you grew up in an age where dithering was a a common graphical trick to get around color limitations and were excited when CGA was succeeded by EGA which gave way to VGA, just seeing a screenshot of Kyle Pittman's You Have to Win the Game will turn you mad with nostalgia. The exploration platformer shares a lot of design elements with Terry Cavanagh's VVVVVV, Lyle in Cube Sector, and Celestial Mechanica, though its main trick is emulating the computing environment of a decades-old PC. But even if you don't get excited by 16-color CRT monitors, You Have to Win the Game is a thoroughly enjoyable ride!

Run and jump, explore and backtrack, activate switches and avoid enemies, ring bells and gather cash. That's pretty much the gist of what you'll do in You Have to Win the Game. The environment is filled with twisted passageways, forked tunnels, and seemingly impassable spots marked by platforms and moving lifts. You'll need to find a few switches to activate or deactivate certain blocks, much like the colored switches in another practically ancient favorite, Super Mario World. Along the way, you'll ring bells to activate checkpoints and pick up tiny bags of cash you come across, all in the name of turning that little exploration percentage number into a full and healthy 100%.

You Have to Win the Game leaves some of the less-desired classic gaming conventions behind, so no worries about cheap deaths, limited lives, or corrupt floppy discs (hey, that used to be a real problem!). You do, however, have to deal with a lot of backtracking, something that can grate on you after you've conquered new territory only to step off a ledge and find yourself back at the beginning of a one-way tunnel. But, despite this, you'll have a pleasurable run through You Have to Win the Game, and since persistence will be your key to making the title come true, all you have to do is stick with it and you'll conquer this deliciously classic platform game!

There's nothing on the first screen that you can reach. Walk right, and keep going past the bell. We'll be back for the money bag later.

Jump over the snake and continue right. Jump the gap in the next room and collect the pink coin bag.

Drop all the way down to 'Which Path Shall I Take?' You'll see quite a bit of this room in the game.

Head left, jump up the steps, and keep going left. When you reach 'Pit of Spikes', jump up the floating platforms to 'Leaps and Bounds'.

Jump over the spikes to the right, then drop down the middle of the spiky tunnel. Walk right for a coin bag, then drop down when the platform dissolves and go back to 'Leaps And Bounds'.

Continue left through 'Hops and Skips', then drop down in the tunnel in the next room. Keep going left to the Quarry hub, then climb up and go left again for a coin bag.

Go back to 'Quarry Hub' and head left again for another bag.

Return to 'Quarry Hub' again, and this time drop down from the platforms before heading left again.

Drop down from Covert Operations, then continue left. Keep going left over the spikes. The platform dissolves, so don't dawdle on it.

Climb up the dissolving platforms, and continue up to the Hollow King.

Hollow King

Take the moving platform up and left. A running jump will get you over the spike stairs, then you can drop straight down to land on a dissolving platform over some spikes.

Jump up and right on this set of platforms to get the coin bag, then follow the path right and back up to the Hollow King.

The Hollow king looks difficult, but his bullets fire in a set pattern. Stay on the left side of the horizontal moving platform until a bullet hits the right side of it, then move to that side. Watch for the bullet hitting the wall ahead of you as the platform approaches, and jump up immediately after. Then head right to claim your prize.

Keep going right to get a coin bag. You can now cross the spikes in 'Covert Operations' to continue back to the right.

Drop down from the Quarry Hub. Immediately to your right is a dissolving platform - stand on it, then jump back to safety unless the moving platform is below you. Once you're on the moving platform, just time your jump right to get over the spikes in the middle. Keep going right.

Snakes! The room is called 'Obvious Movie Quote', but you can take your pick from Indy or Snakes on a Plane. Jump straight up for the coin bag, then continue right. The snakes follow the length of the platforms, so the timing to get past them is quite easy - just follow one platform til a snake approaches, then either jump one up or or drop one below.

Activating the blue blocks earlier prevents us from getting the coin bag in the next room. Annoying as that is, don't worry, we'll be back for it later. Go up.

Head left for a blue coin bag, then go right. Jump across the spikes using the blue blocks.

The next room is easier than it looks. Follow the first moving ball across until you're below the platform, then hop over it on it's way back and continue past it. Drop down and head left. At the three vertically moving balls, jump over the first one just before it hits the floor, and run left past the second ball right away. The timing to get past the third one is easy after that. If you do get hit, the bell is right before them, and a correctly timed standing jump from where you respawn will take you past the first ball.

Drop down and there are some dissolving platforms over a couple of spikes. Just avoid the spikes as you drop. The platforms don't respawn when you do, making subsequent efforts easier if you don't manage it first try. Like the room name suggests, don't go left. You'll just have to get through the last couple of rooms again. Dropping down here is equally pointless, so the only way to go is right. The timing for this jump is tricky, however. You'll need the bat to be on the far left or the far right so you can jump from the moving platform onto the block in the middle, then back onto the platform again, before dropping down to the right.

If you keep dropping down in the tower, you'll notice it alternates you between two screens. One of those has a coin bag on a dissolving platform, so grab that first, then jump back off and land on the blue blocks to the right. Keep going in that direction for a coin bag and a simple jump over a pool, then over a spike in the Bat Cave Head right again, then climb up in Fungal Forest and keep going right for a pink coin bag.

Drop down from 'Remnants Unknown' to 'Castle Rock', then again on the right side. Go right from Observation Deck and jump over the crabs on the islands. There's only two of them, but you'll need good timing - land on the left of the first island, hop the crab, then wait for it to come back towards you before jumping to the other island. Hop over the next crab, go right, and drop down to the crab monster.

Dire Crab

Like the Hollow King, the Dire Crab is easier than it appears. No bullets hit the first blue platform or the first pink platform, so go straight to the pink platform. When the moving platform is over the Crab, it will block his bullets, so you can stand on it. Jump off it to the left before it dissolves, avoid the smaller crab, and go left. There are only two places on the left side where the bullets land, so just avoid those and you'll make it through.

Claim your reward in the next room, then climb up and go left, then up again to Castle rock. Go left here. Jump over the jellyfish and keep going left.

More bullets, but again the pattern is simple. Drop into the small dip, then jump left into the bigger dip. Go straight up from here. then left again to Circular Logic.

Jump over the gap and run left for a coin bag. Go left off the screen to loop back around, then drop down. Hold right as you fall to avoid landing on spikes. There's a coin bag in the middle, covered by dissolving blocks. Land on the moving platform underneath after collecting it, then go left and up. Watch the pattern of bullets to see where they land - most of the screen is safe.

What? A lake you can't cross? Better go back to the right - oh wait. The screen loops around. Drop down and go to the left, back to the tower. Land on the red blocks on the left this time, and go through the portal.

Follow the road left, then go up when you can. Now go all the way right, jumping over a few sets of spikes, for a green coin bag. Then go left for another portal.

Go left again, but drop down two screens on the right hand side from 'Welcome to the Underground' for a pink coin bag. Now head right. Jump over the crab and onto the pillar for a coin bag, then continue right and up until you reach the spider. Run past him screaming like a girl (what? that was just me?), past 'Mine Shaft', until you reach 'Green Man'.

Green Man

As you enter the Green Man room, keep holding right until you land on the platform. That gets you past the first and second set of bullets with no trouble. Jump right again and run under the platform, then jump straight up onto it between the bullets. Now you have one bullet to avoid as you jump to the tree and continue right for your reward.

Head back to Green Man - to get back over the tree, you'll need to jump left, then right - and drop down from the platform this time. Grab the coin bag in 'Descent', then go right again and over another tree for a second coin bag.

There are more coin bags around here, but you'll need some proficiency with the double jump to reach them. From 'Green Mine', go left and drop down to 'Forgotten Tunnels' to see a room with a spiked floor and three moving balls below you. While they're at the bottom of the screen, walk off the platform and jump right to the lower platform - remember you can trigger a double jump in midair. Wait for the balls to move above you, and then do the same again to reach the lowest platform, plus coin bag, in the middle. There's a bell here - so you have to be able to complete the room once you've rung it; there's no other way out.

Jump to the right, then double jump left to the platform with the green coin bag on it. This is a difficult jump to make, and you'll need to avoid hitting your head on the roof as you jump or you won't get the height needed. Finally, double jump right again to the next room, 'Descent', where you can make your way back up again.

There are other coin bags around here, but we need another ability to reach them, so for now, head back up, go past Green Man again, and go through the portal on the far right. This takes us back to 'Which Way Will I Go', and this time you will go right, then drop down and go left for the coin bag we missed in the Bat Cave earlier.

Head right from the Bat Cave, staying in the air. There's another coin bag we couldn't reach last time through, in 'Remnants of the Past Unknown'. You can also jump up on the platforms in the middle now, but instead, go all the way right to 'The Loneliest Corner' and go through the roof, then left. There's a coin bag here, and then you can continue left to reach 'Under Construction', the area above Remnants.

Keep going left for a pink coin bag, then left again for a white one, before returning to 'Transplants'. Jump on on the left here to find Mushroom Staircase, then follow that up and right. Grab the pink coin bag in Vestibule and climb up for a green one, then drop back onto the uppermost pillar and double jump right, to the next screen. You should land on another pillar - keep jumping across to the coin bag. Finally, keep going right until you reach 'Hollow King Transformed'.

Hollow King Transformed

'Hollow King Transformed' looks much more difficult than the previous version - but it's not. Hold right the whole time, and jump once as you reach the first group of bullets. Then climb up and go right to claim your reward.

Use your new ability to climb up the wall on the right, then use the platforms to head left. You'll need to wall jump off the horizontal platform at least once to reach the next area on the left.

Apparently you need more wall jumping practice - this room requires several wall jumps on the moving platform. There's a pink coin bag to grab on your way as well. The platform is just tall enough that a wall jump as you're about to slide off the bottom of it will put you at the right height to land against the top again. Remember this trick: you'll need it a few times later.

Keep going left for a coin bag, then go back to 'Clarity Comes in Waves', and drop down. Note the writing in the background, especially the symbol it shows.

Go right to 'Hollow King Transformed' again, but this time drop down in the middle. Immediately jump over the platform so it doesn't push you against the spikes, then drop down again from the dissolving platform and hop up on the blue blocks to the bell.

To get across the gap to the second bell, you'll need to double jump without hitting the roof or the spikes. Aim your first jump into the gap to the left of the spikes, and trigger the second one once you're not in danger of hitting them anymore. If you don't quite reach the block, wall jump from the side of it. A double jump will see you over the right hand spikes, and then you can drop down into the tunnel and head right.

There are raised spikes in the next room. A double jump is enough to clear them - but only if you angle and time it perfectly. After you get the coin bag, ring the bell and head to the portal on the left by jumping over the initial sets of spikes, to land on the blue block, then working your way up. The portal drops you back in 'Great Hall'.

Go left to Eden Maw and wall jump up the right hand wall to reach 'Does Whatever A Spider Does'. Keep going left, taking care not to fall. Double jumping left from the left hand platform on 'On the Count of Three' should land you on another platform on Leap of Faith, ready for one of the more difficult jumps in the game.

Underneath the coin bag is a portal, and that's where you need to land. It's directly under the 'L' in 'Leap of Faith', so aim for that. The easiest way to reach it is to jump over the first single spike, and double jump as you're above the second one, without letting go of [LEFT]. You should drop straight into the gap and the portal - which drops you over a spike pit. Slide on the right wall, then jump right as you finish the wall slide (remember, wall jumps restore your double jump). Another double jump over the spikes on the ground will see you clear to continue right.

The next room requires several double jumps off the walls to reach the top. Speed is the key here, just jump as quickly as you can. There are cats at the top, so this is totally worth it.

Cats

Collect the hearts over each cat, then head for the portal at the top. You can get there by double jumping from the leftmost cat onto the upper left hand wall, then double jumping off that to the center platforms. The portal drops you back at 'Which Path Will I Take'.

It's been a while since we were this side of the map, and we have new powers since then, so let's grab some coins we missed earlier. Go left, then up to 'Leaps And Bounds'. In the bottom left of this screen are some spikes - you can now use double jump to get over them for another coin bag.

Once you're back at Leaps and Bounds, go through the upper left exit, and again in the next room, and then straight up for another green coin bag.

Follow the road back, then drop down and go left to 'Quarry Hub', and up to the 'Grand Vault'. Go right two screens, then wall jump up and head left again, in the air, for the pink coin bag. On the same screen, wall jump up the left hand wall to reach 'Hydra Is Myth'.

Climb up the dissolving platforms, then hop over to the middle of the screen with a double jump. Another well timed double jump will get you the heart and land you safely on the way to the next room. You can climb up here for a coin bag and drop down the other side for another one.

Go back to the quarry hub, and drop straight down. There's another coin bag here we couldn't reach earlier - just double jump from the moving platform to get it. Follow the road right, up, and back to the left to get back to quarry hub, then go left and wall jump up the right hand wall. From here, go left for a coin bag. On your way back, drop straight down again to 'I Wonder Where This Goes' and get the coin bag at the top left.

From 'Quarry Hub' again, head back to the right, using either route, until you're back at 'Leaps and Bounds'. Jump the spikes on the right again and proceed to 'Subterranea'. You can now wall jump up from here.

Standing in the alcove will keep you out of reach of the bullets - and then its just a matter or timing a wall jump straight up and right onto the platform. Jumping as the bullet bounces off the wall directly above you should get you through. Wall jump up again for a green coin bag, then drop back down and jump left over the bullets for the green coin bag. Go right to Abstract Bridge and jump across to the right.

From the next room you can wall jump up the right side of the wall on the left. There are two further screens above you which you'll need to continue wall jumping up, with the addition of spikes above you. To get around the spikes, wall jump off to the side, then double jump up and back across against the wall again.

When you reach the top, ring the bell, then drop down past the spikes for the coin bag, and again off the bottom left of the screen. Recognize the room you landed in? Grab the green coin bag and make your way up and left. Hiding under the platform holding the coin bag will allow you to duck the bat.

Head back left past the first snake you encountered - we're back for the coins we missed. There's a white one on a ledge in the second area of the game, and disguised in the tree in 'You Have To Start The Game' is a green coin bag. You can reach this by using your double jumping / wall jump skills to bounce round the side of the branch, but if that's too tricky, there's an alternate route to it later.

Once you're caught up on coin bags, go back right to Treasure Hunt, and head upwards. Go right for a green coin bag, then left over the pink water.

There's a coin bag on a ledge in 'Playing With Fire', the next room to the left. After collecting it, use your wall jumping skills to climb back up and keep going left.

Drop down the spiked tunnel in 'Exit Strategy'. The room below is the game's first area, so if you still need the coin bag from the tree, drop down now and collect it, then make your way round again. Otherwise, wall jump up and left. The next room is tough so expect to restart it a few times.

Hardcore Prawn

Don't bother jumping from side to side - pick one side, wait for the right moment, and go straight up. Playing with sound on here will give you an advantage in that you'll be able to hear the beat bullets are fired at, allowing you to better time your jumps if you're stood in front of a prawn. There's a bell when you get to the top left of the screen, thankfully.

Keep going left, through 'A Brief Respite', then drop down. This room is quite difficult, but it's the only way to the next coin bag. You'll need to drop to the right of the moving platform, so that you can slide to the bottom, wall jump back up it, and then jump safely off to the right. Easier said than done. Once you make it across, just wall jump up around the spikes and the platform, and back up on the right, remembering to collect the coin bag along the way. Head left again, and this time go up.

'Bad' Ending

Follow the path right, then drop down. Go left to 'safety' - there's a green coin bag there. Go right again and go through the portal - but prepare to be frustrated. Through the next portal is a green coin bag, and I strongly advise you to jump over the orb and collect it before anything else. Collect the orb afterwards to get an ending - but the game isn't over. Press Enter to continue.

Are we restarting? Well, yes and no. Your progress should still be the same, and the coin bags you previously collected are gone, but your powers are reset. That's okay, because earlier in the game we missed a room walled off by blue blocks, and that's our next stop. If you happened to go through the start of the game in a different order, and already picked that coin bag up, then skip to the next step. If not, head back to the quarry hub, drop down, and go right a few screens to get it.

Re-Collecting Abilities

You now need to re-collect all your previous abilities. They're all in the same places as before, with no difference in the rooms before them.

The Last Coin Bags

The rest of this guide assumes you have regained all your power-ups, so find your way to the room with the moving balls (it's a little way past "Don't Be Too Hasty") again.

Remember this room? It's a lot easier with all your abilities. Just wall jump up the right side, hop over the spikes, and grab the coin bag. Walking off the right of the screen will put you back on the left again, and then you can drop down and go right to the tower. Jump off and land on the pink blocks on the right, then walk right, jump up and left, and come back for a coin bag.

Go back to the tower and take the blue exit right.

Keep going right until you get to Remnants of a Past Unknown, several screens away, then drop down. Go right for a coin bag. Go back left, and left again to the prawn, and the green coin bag is now reachable.

Return to Castle Rock and drop down the danger tunnel. You need to wall slide near the bottom, on the left, and then double jump at the end of it so you can land on the moving platform and proceed left again.

Onwards and upwards! You'll need to wall jump around the spikes on the right - don't try to reach the wall on the left; it's too far. In the 'Abandoned Alcove', go right to the top of the wall on the right, then wall jump, followed by a midair double jump, and you can just reach safety, another coin bag, and a portal back to 'Which Path Will I take'.

Make your way to 'Welcome to the Underground' - it's left from the red block section of the tower, and through the portal. Go right when you land and grab the coin bag in Aqueous Humor, then right again. Follow the path all the way along, then up and all the way left again, for a coin bag.

The portal takes you back to 'Welcome to the Underground' again; this time, drop down as if you were headed to 'Green Man'. Before you get there, though, 'Be Seeing You' has a wall on the top right you can wall jump up - go left at the top to see a word written on the wall (make a note of this), and again for a green coin bag. Go back round, continue to the Green Man room, but drop down from the platform. Go through the bottom left exit here, keep going left, then wall jump up for a green coin bag.

Good Ending

Go back through the game as if you were going to the end again - which is where we will be going shortly.

Where you see 'Do You know the Magic Word?' written on the wall, look up. See that gap above you? You can get through there with wall jumps off the right hand white wall.

It's a tough jump to make, and you need perfect timing - hit the wall jump just as you slide off the wall, and the double jump at the height of your arc, which should not be below the platform. You'll be in a dark area on the top of the game world, but you can keep going left to get outside the white room. The bell is unreachable, but from the top right of the area you can jump right again.

This may be a glitch and doesn't seem to be required to finish the game, but you can use it as a shortcut back to some rooms if you missed them earlier - just go right.

Okay, time to finish the game. Remember the room that reset your progress earlier? Head back to that, but stop in the room before it, the one with "what do you want from me?" written on the wall. Press the magic symbol you saw earlier:

~, or � on UK keyboards

...then type the magic word you saw written on a wall earlier:

arc

Go through the portal, claim the orb, and there's your win screen and 100% completion. A winner is you.

26 Comments

Above the 'The Floor is Lava' room, just after getting the spider gloves.

The tree in the starting room - one of the leaves is actually a collectible. You can only get to it by entering the room from above.

In the 'fail' room, after going through the final portal without having used the secret word. Be warned though, this also takes away all your powerups, so you'll have to collect them again.

As for the magic symbol/magic word:

The magic word is

simply written on a wall in a hard-to-reach place.

And the magic symbol is

actually a drawing of one of the keys on a (US) keyboard.
Specifically:

The 'tilde' key, with these two symbols on it:
~ '

If you don't have such a key, then you're probably using a non-US keyboard. I'm pretty sure you can just press the key in the same place (the top-left of your keyboard just below the ESCAPE key,) and it'll have the same effect.

As to what they're for:

Right at the end there's a room called 'Speak Now...' - press the magic symbol button now, and type in the word.

Love the game, especially the aesthetics. I'm currently at 80% and seriously considering drawing a map.

One nitpick though - that one coinbag-behind-the-wall design decision which effectively forces you to restart the game if you do things in wrong order is a rather unnecessary move on behalf of developer.

Alright, so it took about three hours but I was able to beat the game... at 99.22% completion. I don't know if I have it in me to find the last missing piece.

I feel the controls are pretty tight, which is usually my biggest complaint about indie platformers. It was really interesting to read about the evolution of the controls on the developers blog... something that seems so simple really isn't. There were a few times I got really frustrated trying to brute-force access to a collectible, only to realize there was a much easier path if I'd just explored a bit further. There is quite a bit of backtracking, but the world isn't THAT big and you tend to figure out your way around pretty quickly.

Overall, this is a solid, visually pleasing platformer. Challenging, but with a bit of wandering I always managed to figure out where I needed to go next. Now, if I could only figure out where I left that last piece...

Oh, and thanks to David S. for the heads up...

about the "fail" room... otherwise I would have blundered right in to the "win" room and been missing TWO pieces instead!

Ragequitted at 20% in the "Never Could See Any Other Way" room. Too bad, it started out exceptionally well. I commend each and every person who managed to get through that particular room. I, on the other hand, cannot stand pixel-perfect jump-timing my way through a cheap death trap, even if there is infinite lives and the checkpoint is right there.

No one is excluded, I try to answer all emails that provide feedback, but we don't answer game submissions since we get so many of them. If you send to our contact address found in the site footer, I should get it. The last thing we received from you was a submission for Sword & Sworcery for PC on April 20. And I'm sorry but I don't know what "use the submit" means.

I too have looked everywhere for the final piece but to no avail. Looks like I'll have to settle for the %99.22 as well.
other things that stood out for the possible piece.

- The title of the room where you find the magic word "Et in Aether Ego" which is Latin for "and in the air, I..."
- Not sure what the "map and legend" was all about (room above the cerulean sphere.)
- Bottom right corner of the map, west of the red sphere. As you scale up the fire wall with the jelly, there is a separate side that seems accessible from another area but not sure where.

Okay, so I came back because not getting through that room was bothering me (Honestly couldn't sleep at night because of it!) So now I have forced my way to

the 80% mark and am now in the "Hardcore Prawn" room. I can't seem to get past them. Trying to time the jump from a standing position in the center to the bottom right ledge to the top left ledge and finally over the top left prawn, but I just can't quite make it. Usually end up getting shot by the top left prawn or landing on its back. Any hints or tips would be appreciated.

Also,

I failed to get the coin bag behind the blue wall, so it looks like I'll need to go through the "Fail" room and do the whole thing over again. :( Oh well, at least it'll get me 100%. And I made myself a map using OpenOffice, so that really helps, too.

The part of the game where you go through the mirror to get the double jump. you fall down and there's a sign that says danger because of the water. Look VERY closely at the right ledge of the water and there's a money bag camouflaged.

There's nothing on the first screen that you can reach. Walk right, and keep going past the bell. We'll be back for the money bag later.

Jump over the snake and continue right. Jump the gap in the next room and collect the pink coin bag.

Drop all the way down to 'Which Path Shall I Take?' You'll see quite a bit of this room in the game.

Head left, jump up the steps, and keep going left. When you reach 'Pit of Spikes', jump up the floating platforms to 'Leaps and Bounds'.

Jump over the spikes to the right, then drop down the middle of the spiky tunnel. Walk right for a coin bag, then drop down when the platform dissolves and go back to 'Leaps And Bounds'.

Continue left through 'Hops and Skips', then drop down in the tunnel in the next room. Keep going left to the Quarry hub, then climb up and go left again for a coin bag.

Go back to 'Quarry Hub' and head left again for another bag.

Return to 'Quarry Hub' again, and this time drop down from the platforms before heading left again.

Drop down from Covert Operations, then continue left. Keep going left over the spikes. The platform dissolves, so don't dawdle on it.

Climb up the dissolving platforms, and continue up to the Hollow King.

Hollow King

Take the moving platform up and left. A running jump will get you over the spike stairs, then you can drop straight down to land on a dissolving platform over some spikes.

Jump up and right on this set of platforms to get the coin bag, then follow the path right and back up to the Hollow King.

The Hollow king looks difficult, but his bullets fire in a set pattern. Stay on the left side of the horizontal moving platform until a bullet hits the right side of it, then move to that side. Watch for the bullet hitting the wall ahead of you as the platform approaches, and jump up immediately after. Then head right to claim your prize.

Keep going right to get a coin bag. You can now cross the spikes in 'Covert Operations' to continue back to the right.

Drop down from the Quarry Hub. Immediately to your right is a dissolving platform - stand on it, then jump back to safety unless the moving platform is below you. Once you're on the moving platform, just time your jump right to get over the spikes in the middle. Keep going right.

Snakes! The room is called 'Obvious Movie Quote', but you can take your pick from Indy or Snakes on a Plane. Jump straight up for the coin bag, then continue right. The snakes follow the length of the platforms, so the timing to get past them is quite easy - just follow one platform til a snake approaches, then either jump one up or or drop one below.

Activating the blue blocks earlier prevents us from getting the coin bag in the next room. Annoying as that is, don't worry, we'll be back for it later. Go up.

Head left for a blue coin bag, then go right. Jump across the spikes using the blue blocks.

The next room is easier than it looks. Follow the first moving ball across until you're below the platform, then hop over it on it's way back and continue past it. Drop down and head left. At the three vertically moving balls, jump over the first one just before it hits the floor, and run left past the second ball right away. The timing to get past the third one is easy after that. If you do get hit, the bell is right before them, and a correctly timed standing jump from where you respawn will take you past the first ball.

Drop down and there are some dissolving platforms over a couple of spikes. Just avoid the spikes as you drop. The platforms don't respawn when you do, making subsequent efforts easier if you don't manage it first try. Like the room name suggests, don't go left. You'll just have to get through the last couple of rooms again. Dropping down here is equally pointless, so the only way to go is right. The timing for this jump is tricky, however. You'll need the bat to be on the far left or the far right so you can jump from the moving platform onto the block in the middle, then back onto the platform again, before dropping down to the right.

If you keep dropping down in the tower, you'll notice it alternates you between two screens. One of those has a coin bag on a dissolving platform, so grab that first, then jump back off and land on the blue blocks to the right. Keep going in that direction for a coin bag and a simple jump over a pool, then over a spike in the Bat Cave Head right again, then climb up in Fungal Forest and keep going right for a pink coin bag.

Drop down from 'Remnants Unknown' to 'Castle Rock', then again on the right side. Go right from Observation Deck and jump over the crabs on the islands. There's only two of them, but you'll need good timing - land on the left of the first island, hop the crab, then wait for it to come back towards you before jumping to the other island. Hop over the next crab, go right, and drop down to the crab monster.

Dire Crab

Like the Hollow King, the Dire Crab is easier than it appears. No bullets hit the first blue platform or the first pink platform, so go straight to the pink platform. When the moving platform is over the Crab, it will block his bullets, so you can stand on it. Jump off it to the left before it dissolves, avoid the smaller crab, and go left. There are only two places on the left side where the bullets land, so just avoid those and you'll make it through.

Claim your reward in the next room, then climb up and go left, then up again to Castle rock. Go left here. Jump over the jellyfish and keep going left.

More bullets, but again the pattern is simple. Drop into the small dip, then jump left into the bigger dip. Go straight up from here. then left again to Circular Logic.

Jump over the gap and run left for a coin bag. Go left off the screen to loop back around, then drop down. Hold right as you fall to avoid landing on spikes. There's a coin bag in the middle, covered by dissolving blocks. Land on the moving platform underneath after collecting it, then go left and up. Watch the pattern of bullets to see where they land - most of the screen is safe.

What? A lake you can't cross? Better go back to the right - oh wait. The screen loops around. Drop down and go to the left, back to the tower. Land on the red blocks on the left this time, and go through the portal.

Follow the road left, then go up when you can. Now go all the way right, jumping over a few sets of spikes, for a green coin bag. Then go left for another portal.

Go left again, but drop down two screens on the right hand side from 'Welcome to the Underground' for a pink coin bag. Now head right. Jump over the crab and onto the pillar for a coin bag, then continue right and up until you reach the spider. Run past him screaming like a girl (what? that was just me?), past 'Mine Shaft', until you reach 'Green Man'.

Green Man

As you enter the Green Man room, keep holding right until you land on the platform. That gets you past the first and second set of bullets with no trouble. Jump right again and run under the platform, then jump straight up onto it between the bullets. Now you have one bullet to avoid as you jump to the tree and continue right for your reward.

Head back to Green Man - to get back over the tree, you'll need to jump left, then right - and drop down from the platform this time. Grab the coin bag in 'Descent', then go right again and over another tree for a second coin bag.

There are more coin bags around here, but you'll need some proficiency with the double jump to reach them. From 'Green Mine', go left and drop down to 'Forgotten Tunnels' to see a room with a spiked floor and three moving balls below you. While they're at the bottom of the screen, walk off the platform and jump right to the lower platform - remember you can trigger a double jump in midair. Wait for the balls to move above you, and then do the same again to reach the lowest platform, plus coin bag, in the middle. There's a bell here - so you have to be able to complete the room once you've rung it; there's no other way out.

Jump to the right, then double jump left to the platform with the green coin bag on it. This is a difficult jump to make, and you'll need to avoid hitting your head on the roof as you jump or you won't get the height needed. Finally, double jump right again to the next room, 'Descent', where you can make your way back up again.

There are other coin bags around here, but we need another ability to reach them, so for now, head back up, go past Green Man again, and go through the portal on the far right. This takes us back to 'Which Way Will I Go', and this time you will go right, then drop down and go left for the coin bag we missed in the Bat Cave earlier.

Head right from the Bat Cave, staying in the air. There's another coin bag we couldn't reach last time through, in 'Remnants of the Past Unknown'. You can also jump up on the platforms in the middle now, but instead, go all the way right to 'The Loneliest Corner' and go through the roof, then left. There's a coin bag here, and then you can continue left to reach 'Under Construction', the area above Remnants.

Keep going left for a pink coin bag, then left again for a white one, before returning to 'Transplants'. Jump on on the left here to find Mushroom Staircase, then follow that up and right. Grab the pink coin bag in Vestibule and climb up for a green one, then drop back onto the uppermost pillar and double jump right, to the next screen. You should land on another pillar - keep jumping across to the coin bag. Finally, keep going right until you reach 'Hollow King Transformed'.

Hollow King Transformed

'Hollow King Transformed' looks much more difficult than the previous version - but it's not. Hold right the whole time, and jump once as you reach the first group of bullets. Then climb up and go right to claim your reward.

Use your new ability to climb up the wall on the right, then use the platforms to head left. You'll need to wall jump off the horizontal platform at least once to reach the next area on the left.

Apparently you need more wall jumping practice - this room requires several wall jumps on the moving platform. There's a pink coin bag to grab on your way as well. The platform is just tall enough that a wall jump as you're about to slide off the bottom of it will put you at the right height to land against the top again. Remember this trick: you'll need it a few times later.

Keep going left for a coin bag, then go back to 'Clarity Comes in Waves', and drop down. Note the writing in the background, especially the symbol it shows.

Go right to 'Hollow King Transformed' again, but this time drop down in the middle. Immediately jump over the platform so it doesn't push you against the spikes, then drop down again from the dissolving platform and hop up on the blue blocks to the bell.

To get across the gap to the second bell, you'll need to double jump without hitting the roof or the spikes. Aim your first jump into the gap to the left of the spikes, and trigger the second one once you're not in danger of hitting them anymore. If you don't quite reach the block, wall jump from the side of it. A double jump will see you over the right hand spikes, and then you can drop down into the tunnel and head right.

There are raised spikes in the next room. A double jump is enough to clear them - but only if you angle and time it perfectly. After you get the coin bag, ring the bell and head to the portal on the left by jumping over the initial sets of spikes, to land on the blue block, then working your way up. The portal drops you back in 'Great Hall'.

Go left to Eden Maw and wall jump up the right hand wall to reach 'Does Whatever A Spider Does'. Keep going left, taking care not to fall. Double jumping left from the left hand platform on 'On the Count of Three' should land you on another platform on Leap of Faith, ready for one of the more difficult jumps in the game.

Underneath the coin bag is a portal, and that's where you need to land. It's directly under the 'L' in 'Leap of Faith', so aim for that. The easiest way to reach it is to jump over the first single spike, and double jump as you're above the second one, without letting go of [LEFT]. You should drop straight into the gap and the portal - which drops you over a spike pit. Slide on the right wall, then jump right as you finish the wall slide (remember, wall jumps restore your double jump). Another double jump over the spikes on the ground will see you clear to continue right.

The next room requires several double jumps off the walls to reach the top. Speed is the key here, just jump as quickly as you can. There are cats at the top, so this is totally worth it.

Cats

Collect the hearts over each cat, then head for the portal at the top. You can get there by double jumping from the leftmost cat onto the upper left hand wall, then double jumping off that to the center platforms. The portal drops you back at 'Which Path Will I Take'.

It's been a while since we were this side of the map, and we have new powers since then, so let's grab some coins we missed earlier. Go left, then up to 'Leaps And Bounds'. In the bottom left of this screen are some spikes - you can now use double jump to get over them for another coin bag.

Once you're back at Leaps and Bounds, go through the upper left exit, and again in the next room, and then straight up for another green coin bag.

Follow the road back, then drop down and go left to 'Quarry Hub', and up to the 'Grand Vault'. Go right two screens, then wall jump up and head left again, in the air, for the pink coin bag. On the same screen, wall jump up the left hand wall to reach 'Hydra Is Myth'.

Climb up the dissolving platforms, then hop over to the middle of the screen with a double jump. Another well timed double jump will get you the heart and land you safely on the way to the next room. You can climb up here for a coin bag and drop down the other side for another one.

Go back to the quarry hub, and drop straight down. There's another coin bag here we couldn't reach earlier - just double jump from the moving platform to get it. Follow the road right, up, and back to the left to get back to quarry hub, then go left and wall jump up the right hand wall. From here, go left for a coin bag. On your way back, drop straight down again to 'I Wonder Where This Goes' and get the coin bag at the top left.

From 'Quarry Hub' again, head back to the right, using either route, until you're back at 'Leaps and Bounds'. Jump the spikes on the right again and proceed to 'Subterranea'. You can now wall jump up from here.

Standing in the alcove will keep you out of reach of the bullets - and then its just a matter or timing a wall jump straight up and right onto the platform. Jumping as the bullet bounces off the wall directly above you should get you through. Wall jump up again for a green coin bag, then drop back down and jump left over the bullets for the green coin bag. Go right to Abstract Bridge and jump across to the right.

From the next room you can wall jump up the right side of the wall on the left. There are two further screens above you which you'll need to continue wall jumping up, with the addition of spikes above you. To get around the spikes, wall jump off to the side, then double jump up and back across against the wall again.

When you reach the top, ring the bell, then drop down past the spikes for the coin bag, and again off the bottom left of the screen. Recognize the room you landed in? Grab the green coin bag and make your way up and left. Hiding under the platform holding the coin bag will allow you to duck the bat.

Head back left past the first snake you encountered - we're back for the coins we missed. There's a white one on a ledge in the second area of the game, and disguised in the tree in 'You Have To Start The Game' is a green coin bag. You can reach this by using your double jumping / wall jump skills to bounce round the side of the branch, but if that's too tricky, there's an alternate route to it later.

Once you're caught up on coin bags, go back right to Treasure Hunt, and head upwards. Go right for a green coin bag, then left over the pink water.

There's a coin bag on a ledge in 'Playing With Fire', the next room to the left. After collecting it, use your wall jumping skills to climb back up and keep going left.

Drop down the spiked tunnel in 'Exit Strategy'. The room below is the game's first area, so if you still need the coin bag from the tree, drop down now and collect it, then make your way round again. Otherwise, wall jump up and left. The next room is tough so expect to restart it a few times.

Hardcore Prawn

Don't bother jumping from side to side - pick one side, wait for the right moment, and go straight up. Playing with sound on here will give you an advantage in that you'll be able to hear the beat bullets are fired at, allowing you to better time your jumps if you're stood in front of a prawn. There's a bell when you get to the top left of the screen, thankfully.

Keep going left, through 'A Brief Respite', then drop down. This room is quite difficult, but it's the only way to the next coin bag. You'll need to drop to the right of the moving platform, so that you can slide to the bottom, wall jump back up it, and then jump safely off to the right. Easier said than done. Once you make it across, just wall jump up around the spikes and the platform, and back up on the right, remembering to collect the coin bag along the way. Head left again, and this time go up.

'Bad' Ending

Follow the path right, then drop down. Go left to 'safety' - there's a green coin bag there. Go right again and go through the portal - but prepare to be frustrated. Through the next portal is a green coin bag, and I strongly advise you to jump over the orb and collect it before anything else. Collect the orb afterwards to get an ending - but the game isn't over. Press Enter to continue.

Are we restarting? Well, yes and no. Your progress should still be the same, and the coin bags you previously collected are gone, but your powers are reset. That's okay, because earlier in the game we missed a room walled off by blue blocks, and that's our next stop. If you happened to go through the start of the game in a different order, and already picked that coin bag up, then skip to the next step. If not, head back to the quarry hub, drop down, and go right a few screens to get it.

Re-Collecting Abilities

You now need to re-collect all your previous abilities. They're all in the same places as before, with no difference in the rooms before them.

The Last Coin Bags

The rest of this guide assumes you have regained all your power-ups, so find your way to the room with the moving balls (it's a little way past "Don't Be Too Hasty") again.

Remember this room? It's a lot easier with all your abilities. Just wall jump up the right side, hop over the spikes, and grab the coin bag. Walking off the right of the screen will put you back on the left again, and then you can drop down and go right to the tower. Jump off and land on the pink blocks on the right, then walk right, jump up and left, and come back for a coin bag.

Go back to the tower and take the blue exit right.

Keep going right until you get to Remnants of a Past Unknown, several screens away, then drop down. Go right for a coin bag. Go back left, and left again to the prawn, and the green coin bag is now reachable.

Return to Castle Rock and drop down the danger tunnel. You need to wall slide near the bottom, on the left, and then double jump at the end of it so you can land on the moving platform and proceed left again.

Onwards and upwards! You'll need to wall jump around the spikes on the right - don't try to reach the wall on the left; it's too far. In the 'Abandoned Alcove', go right to the top of the wall on the right, then wall jump, followed by a midair double jump, and you can just reach safety, another coin bag, and a portal back to 'Which Path Will I take'.

Make your way to 'Welcome to the Underground' - it's left from the red block section of the tower, and through the portal. Go right when you land and grab the coin bag in Aqueous Humor, then right again. Follow the path all the way along, then up and all the way left again, for a coin bag.

The portal takes you back to 'Welcome to the Underground' again; this time, drop down as if you were headed to 'Green Man'. Before you get there, though, 'Be Seeing You' has a wall on the top right you can wall jump up - go left at the top to see a word written on the wall (make a note of this), and again for a green coin bag. Go back round, continue to the Green Man room, but drop down from the platform. Go through the bottom left exit here, keep going left, then wall jump up for a green coin bag.

Good Ending

Go back through the game as if you were going to the end again - which is where we will be going shortly.

Where you see 'Do You know the Magic Word?' written on the wall, look up. See that gap above you? You can get through there with wall jumps off the right hand white wall.

It's a tough jump to make, and you need perfect timing - hit the wall jump just as you slide off the wall, and the double jump at the height of your arc, which should not be below the platform. You'll be in a dark area on the top of the game world, but you can keep going left to get outside the white room. The bell is unreachable, but from the top right of the area you can jump right again.

This may be a glitch and doesn't seem to be required to finish the game, but you can use it as a shortcut back to some rooms if you missed them earlier - just go right.

Okay, time to finish the game. Remember the room that reset your progress earlier? Head back to that, but stop in the room before it, the one with "what do you want from me?" written on the wall. Press the magic symbol you saw earlier:

~, or � on UK keyboards

...then type the magic word you saw written on a wall earlier:

arc

Go through the portal, claim the orb, and there's your win screen and 100% completion. A winner is you.

Loved this game - great gameplay that captures that exploratory, mysterious, robust vibe of DOS games of old and the like. The engine is clearly well programmed and the visuals are amazing and unique. I also plugged my xbox controller into the laptop and the controller feels amazing... even more control.

I will say this - when my powers were reset, I couldn't even get myself to continue. It seemed like such a bummer having all my hard-won powers taken away. I also have no compelling reason to re-explore the maze-like rooms I thought I was leaving behind in victory. I'm sad to give up, but I felt a little tricked or something. And too tedious to re-live.

FYI, the recent Steam version has changed the final solution to win the game in a couple of ways. The symbol and word in this walkthrough no longer work.

But first, to clarify something from the walkthrough Good Ending section:

You DO NOT need to jump over the white wall in the Do you know the word? Room. That is likely a glitch and is not needed for 100%. The last bag is in the win room, so you only need 99% before going for the good ending.

Regarding the new ending:

The old symbol was the tilda key and was used to enter the secret word in the console. The new ending does not use the console and instead there is a portal labeled "go" which takes you to a series of portals used to spell out the secret word. If you have found them the Secret word and symbol will be show in the code input rooms. The new symbol therefore is not a key you need to press.

Then what is the secret symbol now?

The symbol is a decoder to get the secret word, which is found written encoded on a cave wall in the same place as before.

Ok, but what is it?

It is a 3 with counter clockwise arrows around it.

And what is the new secret word?

The word written on the cave wall is VXSHU. But that's not the secret word.

You need to decode it using the symbol.

So what is the decoded secret word that you need to enter to win?

SUPER. It is the encoded word, VXSHU with each letter moved back 3 places in the alphabet. Enter it via the portals and then head right and enter the Return portal to get the win ending and the last bag.

Welp, I got to 92% without the walkthrough, then my game broke and it won't let me put in the code even though I know it, and yes, I DO click the right button and the screen pops up, but it's apparently unrecognized... so... yeah...

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